Royalty on the Rails
by EMH
Summary: Celestia, Luna, and their niece, Cadence, decided to take a vacation to get away from the stress of their daily routine. However, their vacation "spell" goes wrong and the three alicorns get sucked into another world, our world. Luckily, they are found by four guys who work for the railroad. Credits to Lunar Lovegood for beta reading this story.
1. Vacation Gone Wrong

In the land of Equestria, everpony was living a happy life. Harmony was present, magic was in the air. Ponies lived, worked, and played together. All of the nation's citizens lived well, all thanks to the princesses that brought peace and order to the land.

However, all of this came with a price. In the royal castle in Canterlot, Celestia and Luna were exhausted with paperwork, responsibilities, politics, writing letters, and many more of the responsibilities that came with their caliber. For Celestia, keeping the kind, motherly persona she had was harder than it looked. As well as raising the sun every morning, Celestia was meant to read every single letter that was sent to her. Many days, she would read more than a thousand letters before the clock struck noon.

Luna had her own problems, too. Illuminating the night sky with the moon and her stars was quite a job, and she also had to deal with the less important paperwork that her sister's status was high for. The stress took a toll on each of the two sisters.

Just like the two sisters, Princess Cadence was incredibly exhausted. As ruler of the Crystal Empire, she had the responsibility of government paperwork, policies, laws, and taxes. It was very stressful, especially for only one alicorn. Cadence spent a lot of time in her throne room as she read through countless numbers of papers, letters and laws like her aunt Celestia.

All three princesses were completely wrecked with fatigue. Each of them would have given one of their hind legs for a break from the stress.

One day, Cadence was sitting in her castle going through the citizens' letters of complaint. Every single one of them was extremely petty and boring. She felt like she'd been awake for days. According to the clock, it was only eleven in the morning. When she opened the next letter, she was exasperated to find that it was about the portion sizes of the food at the Grand Gallopping Gala, which wasn't even held in the Crystal Empire.

Cadence dropped the letters on the ground in frustration. She'd finally had enough. "Shining Armor, do you think you could handle the rest of the complaints for today? I've been taking care of it all week, and it's given me a huge headache."

Shining Armor trotted into the room. "Sure, why not. It's not like I've got anything else going on today. You look tired. You should go and rest."

Cadence ran her hoof through her mane and yawned. "You know, Shining, I've been way too stressed lately. I really feel like I could use a vacation."

That night, Cadence, donning a cloak as a disguise, snuck out of her castle to the train station. Upon her arrival, she saw two tall hooded figures whispering in the corner of the platform. Just as the three had planned, Celestia and Luna had arrived.

"Hello, Cadence," Celestia greeted her adoptive niece. "It's always a pleasure to see you."

Cadence smiled. "Hi, Tia. I'm so glad you both could make it. Shining Armor said he'd cover for me while I was gone. Did you get anyone to help?"

Luna nodded. "We've enchanted the sun, moon, and stars to rotate on their own without our help. As for our duties, we've assigned Twilight Sparkle and her friends to take care of them while we are away."

"We are confident in their ability to handle them," Celestia added.

Cadence breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness! I can't imagine what would happen if we all just up and disappeared!"

The three alicorns talked about their stress, exchanging stories of rude citizens and horrible letters they'd received. They talked and laughed for hours, until the sky was streaked with the red of the enchanted sunrise.

Celestia laughed. "What was that pony drinking? Why in Tartarus would they complain to you about something as stupid as the size of the food at the Gala?"

Cadence snorted. "I know, I'd say they'd had a long night full of cider when they put that one in the box!"

"Celestia, Cadence, it's almost daylight. We need to get going if we don't plan on being seen," said Luna.

"How are we even going to leave Equestria without being noticed?" Cadence asked.

Luna thought for a moment until she remembered something. "Long ago, I learned a spell that allowed the caster to go anywhere in the world through a portal it created. It allowed me and my sister to travel with ease. However, the spell itself is very bright, and we won't be able to use it here without drawing attention to ourselves. We should go somewhere dark and secluded to do this, like our old castle in the Everfree Forest."

Celestia's expression grew somber. "Luna, it has been thousands of years since we last used that particular spell. It was also always quite unstable. Are you sure that this is the way we should go?"

Luna nodded. "Yes, I am sure. It was the most efficient way to travel," she replied.

And so the three alicorns took to the skies, flying over lakes, valleys, and the like before finally landing in a cave hidden beneath the Castle of the Two Sisters. It was secluded, hidden behind the veil of a weeping willow tree. A perfect spot to open the portal.

"Now, this spell requires the magical equivalent of three alicorns to produce," Celestia said. "Cadence, are you up to the task?"

"Of course," Cadence replied. "When we cast this spell, we will be able to go anywhere. Let's see where the portal takes us."

"One moment, Luna," Celestia said. "This spell is far from being mastered. We cannot predict what would happen were it to fail."

Luna turned towards her sister. "I am confident that we will be able to cast the spell. We all need a vacation, and I will do anything to get one." She took a deep breath. "Let us begin at once."

The princesses horns began to glow as they each focused all of their energy on casting the spell. Before them, a ball of magical energy began to form, growing bigger and brighter by the second. Eventually, the ball transformed into a vortex, violently sucking dust and rocks from the cave inside to an unknown place. However, it soon grew too powerful, beginning to take with it bats and other small creatures, and even beginning to pull the princesses to the other side.

"Sister! Cadence! The magic has grown unstable! We must shut down the portal!" Celestia had a look of terror on her face.

Luna and Cadence's horns flickered, the vortex fluctuating before ultimately growing bigger and more powerful than ever. "We can't! It has grown too powerful!" Luna yelled over the sound of the portal's vacuum.

The alicorns' legs began to inch towards the vortex against the owners' will. "We're being sucked in!" Cadence screamed, her face drenched in sweat from her futile efforts to resist.

The harder the ponies flapped their wings, the more powerful the vacuum of the portal grew. They were inches away from the core before accepting their inevitable fate and falling into the monstrous vortex. Screams of terror rang out in the forest as the portal closed, unheard by anypony able to help their senders.


	2. Incident in the Local Inn

Back on earth, there was a taxi that drove up a hill at the end of a snowy valley on the way to a local inn. As it pulled into the entrance, a person got out of the car, paid the driver their fare, and made a mad dash for the lobby so as to escape the chill of the winter air.

"One night, please," he asked the front desk.

"Your name, sir?" the receptionist asked.

"Michael," he told them.

"Alright, Michael. Here you go, room forty-five." The receptionist handed Michael a key with the room number engraved into it.

Michael turned his head towards the long hallway. The room marked with his number was all the way at the end. "Um, is there a room closer to the lobby?" he asked.

"Sorry, sir, but this is the only room left. We've been very busy due to the approaching blizzard."

"Alright then, thanks…" Michael groaned as he grabbed the key.

Michael grumbled in annoyance as he walked the hundred feet from the lobby to his room. He opened the door and placed his bag on the table. The room wasn't fancy, but it was enough for him to have a restful night.

The view of the window, on the other hand, was stunning. He had a view of the whole forest.

"Well, at least the view is nice." Michael smiled to himself. Michael turned on the heater in his room and opened his laptop. Then he plugged in his phone to charge.

He took off his dirty clothes and took a shower. Michael came out of the shower and turned on the television to the weather forecast. "Good evening, folks, and welcome to tonight's forecast. A snow storm is heading towards Aurora Village. We kindly advise everyone to keep their windows closed. Temperatures are expected to drop below thirty degrees."

"Meh, it's always snowing here, no surprise there." Michael flipped through the channels to find something interesting to watch. "Boring, boring, saw that already, boring, boring…"

Suddenly, the remote control stopped working. Michael pounded the remote on his palm in frustration. "Stupid remote, they could at least change the batt–"

Suddenly, a burst of colorful light exploded in the forest outside of the room. Michael was thrown off the bed and onto the floor in shock.

He groaned in pain as the white light faded, then picked himself up off the floor. "What the hell was that?!" Michael ran towards the window and saw the three creatures that had emerged from the light.

"Holy shit," Michael gasped.

In the middle of the forest were the three alicorn princesses. They all groaned as they woke up to process their surroundings.

"Luna! I can't believe how irresponsible you were! You knew that spell was unstable, and now instead of on vacation, we're stuck in the middle of a forest with no idea where we are!" Celestia had never been angrier at her sister in her life.

"Why are you blaming me? You're the one who went along with it!" Luna screamed.

Back in the hotel room, Michael searched the room in a frantic matter to find his phone. When he found it had been disconnected from the charger, and thus still had no charge. "Oh, come on, are you kidding me?!" Michael grumbled.

"Come on, come on!" Michael panicked, desperate to get a picture of the three unknown beings outside his window.

"Okay, break it up, break it up!" Cadence shouted.

"I will not stop; she needs to realize that she was wrong!" Celestia refused.

"Oh, really? It's always my fault, isn't it, Tia?!" Luna said.

"Don't 'Tia' me!" Celestia yelled.

Cadence growled in anger. Her horn glowed, and a closed zipper appeared on each of the sisters' mouths. "How can you be fighting at a time like this? We need to get a handle on what's going on!"

Celestia used her own magic to open the zippers, which then disappeared. She sighed. "I'm sorry, Cadence. You're right. We should be focused on figuring out what to do next."

"As am I," Luna added. "At the very least, we should find a place to take shelter. It's far too cold to rest here." She pointed a hoof towards a hut that seemed to be only about a hundred yards away.

"Look, there's a place right over there. Perhaps we can stay there and warm up for the night." And so the princesses set off for the hut.

Michael waited for what seemed like hours until his phone had enough charge to open the camera. But when he ran towards the window to take the picture, the mysterious equines were gone. He was angry and shocked. He was angry because he missed the opportunity to get a picture due to the lack of charge in his phone. But he was shocked because out of all the years he lived, he had never seen anything like this.

Celestia, Luna, and Cadence walked through the snow-covered forest. The pine trees were covered in thick snow, and the intense blizzard blew through the leaves, which caused the snow piled on the leaves to fall on the princesses. They opened their wings shook the snow off their bodies.

Suddenly, the alicorns saw a pack of wolves advancing towards them. Luna stepped forward to speak with them. "Greetings, dear wolves. We would like to tell you that we humble ponies are simply passing through your territory. We come in peace," Luna said to them.

The wolf pack's alpha licked his lips in hunger. It was clear that they thought they had found themselves a meal. Cadence stood next to Luna.

"Please, we don't want to cause any trouble. Just let us through and we won't hurt you." The alpha wolf rolled his eyes, looking almost bored. He signaled the rest of the pack using his tail.

Before the princesses could say anything more, the pack of wolves began to charge at them. The three alicorn princesses readied their horns and wings with bravery as they engaged battle. Little did they know that they were making a very big mistake.


	3. Aurora Station

Meanwhile, in the Aurora Village, passengers hustled and bustled throughout the station. The line at the ticket booth stretched far around the corner, everyone in it having a place to be. People hung out at the several restaurants around the station, ordering coffee, soda, pastries, and many other delicious confectioneries. There were even people shopping around the stores buying presents and souvenirs. Trains zoomed in and out of the platforms below the station, an intercom announcing the arrival and departure of trains in the Aurora Village Train Station.

"Attention ladies and gentlemen, now arriving on Platform One, from Eternal Valley, engine number eight forty-nine." The passengers got off the train and hurriedly walked up escalators to collect their luggage.

On Platform Two, another train was almost ready to depart for Iron Bridge Village, a winter wonderland with the famous iron bridge that had stood for more than eight centuries.

"Attention passengers, this is the final boarding call for the seven thirty-night train to Iron Bridge Village!" the station announcer called via intercom.

At the entrance of the platform, Garrett, the conductor, was scanning and processing tickets for the passengers.

"I'm telling you, I saw these creatures in the middle of a forest from my room!" Michael explained to him.

"Michael, please, there are no such things as horses with wings and horns." Garrett retorted.

"No, really, I saw them! They were lying in the snow and they were actually talking in our language!"

"Right… talking magical horses…" Garrett said sarcastically as he inspected a passenger's ticket. "Second car, seat twenty-three A." he told the passenger.

John and Evan walked towards Garrett and Michael. Garrett saw the two and began to call them.

"Evan, John, can you believe this guy?" Garrett pointed at Michael. "He said that he saw magical flying horses!"

"I saw them! There was white one, a dark blue one, and pink one! They were talking in our language, they all had a horn and a pair of wings! I saw them, guys!" Michael cried, desperate for them to believe him.

The three men stared at Michael for a minute. Soon, they all started laughing at him. Michael sighed in defeat, he knew that without a picture, he couldn't prove to them that the creatures existed.

After several minutes, Garrett was almost done checking tickets. He decided to get some food once all of the passengers had been boarded. "Michael, I'm getting some food with John, you want anything?" Garrett asked he scanned the ticket of the passenger.

"I'll have a soda," Michael told him.

Garrett looked at Michael with a puzzled expression, "Really? A soda, in the freezing cold?"

"Just get me a soda, man!" Michael practically yelled.

"Geez, calm down there, buddy! Are you still mad about those magical horses?" Garrett said as he scanned another ticket.

"Yes I am, and I have 50 pounds of snow falling on me!" Michael snapped.

Michael prayed that the ponies would show up again so he could get photographic evidence of their existence. He sighed. If only he could show them…

As the passengers entered the train to their assigned seats, Garrett and Michael were making sure that everyone who had purchased a ticket was on board. They helped passengers who were lost find their assigned seats, passengers who were handicapped, and the elderly get comfortable on the train.

While Garrett helped an older couple put their luggage on the overhead compartment, Michael picked up the intercom. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome aboard the train heading to Iron Bridge Village. We will be departing soon, please kindly follow all safety procedures on this train."

Michael's mind began to wander off as he remembered the three alicorns. He began to talk to himself as he wondered how these three got here.

Michael stared out of a window in the passenger car, watching the forest where the three alicorns were before. "I really hope they'll be okay, the snow storm is getting bad." Michael sighed, "What were those things? How did they get here? There has to be reason," he said to himself.

"Michael," a voice said out of the blue.

"I can hear them!" Michael eyes widened in surprise.

"Michael…" The voice was hasher this time.

"I'm going to find them, and when I do, I'm going to take a picture and show it to them!" Michael spoke.

"Michael!" Garrett snapped at him. Michael burst out of his daydream as he saw Garrett staring at him with an annoyed look on his face.

Michael searched frantically for the intercom that hanged from its compartment. He grabbed it, cleared his throat, and resumed. "There will be no smoking on this train. Please keep all personal belongings to yourself and a have a safe and wonderful trip." Michael placed the speaker back into its compartment and smiled nervously at Garrett.

Garrett rolled his eyes as he left the passenger car, "You'd better get those stupid magical horses out of your head," he warned Michael as he slammed the outer car door. Michael jumped a little.

In the middle of the station, Garrett and John made a quick run to the station's café. The café had all sorts of coffee, sandwiches, pasties, and hot chocolate. There was a long line, but it went fast until the person ordering at the front couldn't decide what to get. Garrett and John became irritated as the person in front of them stared at the menu like he was lost in a trance.

After what felt like hours later, the person up front was still undecided. John was irritated, but Garrett was at his breaking point. A few minutes later, Garrett lost it. "Will you just order something already!?"

"We are way behind schedule, man!" Garrett checked his watch. "This will not look good on our record!"

"Garrett, it's only been five minutes, we leave in twenty minutes, dude." John said to Garrett.

Finally, the person ordered something, a salad. It turned out that the person was a vegan. Garrett flared his nostrils as he straightened his jacket.

After the two ordered their food and drinks, they made a mad dash back to the platform where their train was. Michael saw them running towards him.

Michael smiled at the two, "There you guys are, right on time—oomf!" Garrett shoved the tray of food and drinks at him.

"Put it in the passenger car, we're departing now!" Garrett ordered Michael as he grabbed the radio in the passenger car and ran towards the locomotive.

Garrett reached the locomotive cab with a radio in his hand, "Captain, all passengers have been boarded. Are we on time, sir?"

Evan popped open the window of the locomotive. "Relax Garrett, we're right on schedule."

John climbed into the cab with a tray of hot cocoa. "I got us some food for the trip. This should tie us over until we arrive."

Evan smiled as he grabbed the cup of hot cocoa. "Nice."

The signal light went from a bright red into a shiny green.

"Engine eight fifty, you are clear for departure. Be advised, there is a heavy snowstorm up ahead. Proceed with caution," the train tower announced.

"Copy that, dispatcher, I'll proceed with caution." Evan responded. "Alright, John, let's get this girl rolling!"

John swiveled the shovel and dung into the coal pile, "Roger that!" John opened the firebox door with his foot on the pedal and shoveled coal into firebox.

John looked outside the window. The intense snow was obstructing the usually-clear view. "We've got some heavy snow, captain."

"Way ahead of you, engaging auxiliary lights." Evan flipped a switch on the cab.

Evan pulled the lever down to release the brakes. Then he blew the horn to signal that the train had departed from the station.

Evan grabbed the radio notified the station. "This is engine eight fifty, we are heading out into the outbound line, over."

Michael leaned out of the crew passenger car, he waved at Evan the okay signal.

"Alright, let's do this!" Evan pumped his fist in the air.

The FEF let out a huge whistle blow as it pulled out of the station entering the cruel snow storm. The locomotive pulled an impressive fifteen full passenger cars plus an extra passenger car in which the crew members hung out.

"Attention ladies and gentlemen, engine eight fifty is now departing. If you have purchased a ticket and missed it, please take the eight thirty train. Thank you."


	4. Into the Snowstorm

As the train pulled onto the main line, the engineer raised the boiler's temperature. The heavy blizzard was no match for the powerful Northern locomotive. Evan blew the whistle as the train approached a crossing gate, even though there were no cars present.

In the last passenger car, Michael and Garrett stood next to a heater, trying to shake off the cold. Once they were warm enough, they plugged into their smartphones into the outlet of their car. They changed into their uniforms and put their hats on. Garrett opened the door and headed into the passenger cars.

Michael grabbed the radio and began to make the routine announcements. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, we have departed from the Aurora Village Train Station. The time is seven fourty P.M. We are expecting heavy blizzard ahead and we kindly advise you to close all windows. We have estimated that it will be one hour until our arrival to Iron Bridge Village. Laptops, smartphones, and other handheld devices may be used throughout the journey."

Michael took a sip of his frozen soda before he resumed talking. "The conductor will be collecting tickets shortly, so please have your ticket ready for scanning and processing. Again, we are expecting some heavy snowfall, so please keep all windows closed. Thank you, and we hope you have a safe and pleasant trip."

The FEF plowed through the fresh powder snow. John shoveled coal into the firebox as fast as he could to keep the boiler hot. Once he knew that enough coal had been shoveled, he grabbed a piece of coal from the pile and threw the piece into the firebox like a basketball.

"He shoots, he scores! Yeah!" John cheered to himself as the coal went into the firebox.

Evan smiled and he rolled his eyes as he applied more pressure to the boiler. He sounded the whistle as they entered a tunnel.

Meanwhile, deep in the wintry forest, Celestia, Luna, and Cadence exhaustedly trod into a clearing, gasping for air. They were all bruised, aching, and battered from their encounter with the vicious wolves.

Celestia carried an unconcious Cadence on her back. She managed to use her horn as a torch to light up the way, but it was immediately rendered useless once the intense snowstorm battered down on them. All the three of them could do was make their way towards the little hut. It wasn't much, but anything was better than this blizzard. Due to the heavy snow deposits, the railroad tracks were covered with thick snow, causing them to go unnoticed by the alicorns.

Celestia and Luna pushed with all of their might towards the hut. Halfway through, Luna hit her hoof on a hard metal object, causing it to sprain. Luna cried in pain as she cradled it with her other front hoof. Then, one of her back hooves got caught underneath the rail.

"Tia!" Luna shrieked, calling out to her sister.

Celestia saw Luna trapped on the tracks. She quickly turned around and dashed towards Luna, still making sure Cadence never fell off her back. She gently laid Cadence on the snow and started digging in the snow to find Luna's hoof. As the air got colder and the wind harsher, she started to get short of breath. The sudden drop in temperature gave both sisters frostbite on their coats.

Celestia's lungs were almost void of oxygen. Soon, her breath got so short that she could no longer dig anymore.

Celestia eyes began to water up. The thought of her sister and niece dying in the snow made her helpless. Celestia cried to herself. As if things couldn't get bad enough, Celestia felt the train tracks rumbling and heard a whistle that echo in the wind.


	5. Trouble on the Tracks

The train plowed through what had to be at least a foot of snow covering the tracks. No matter how heavily the snow fell, it was no match for the powerful northern locomotive. Despite the storm, the vehicle continued to move at full speed. At this rate, the train could possibly get to Iron Bridge Village earlier than expected.

"Well, there goes our last drink." Evan tossed his empty cup into the trash bin. He reached into his bag and grabbed his lunch: a sandwich and a bottled water.

John chewed his sandwich and sipped his hot chocolate. "Can't shovel coal on an empty stomach!" he chirped, food still in his mouth.

The passenger cars were nice and peaceful, as the trip was going smoothly. Many passengers were in their seats reading, some were in line at the café getting hot drinks, and a few were watching movies or listening to music on electronic devices.

Michael and Garrett were in the vista dome of their passenger car playing an old zombie survival video game. with their food and drinks on the table. There really was nothing like eating good food, drinking hot drinks and playing video games away from heavy storm outside.

"Look out, we got a spitter!" Michael called with his mouth full.

"Quit yelling, man." Garrett tapped a few keys, apparently taking care of the monter. "All taken care of." He slipped his hot chocolate.

Back in the cab, John got up from his chair to stretch is body. When he looked through the front window of the cab, he noticed that something was on the tracks.

"Captain! There's something on the tracks!" he shouted.

"That's insane, who could possibly be out at this hour?" Evan asked as he took a bite of his sandwich.

"You'd be surprised!" John shouted.

Evan leaned over to the window and saw three mysterious silhouettes on the tracks. He got up from his seat and grabbed the whistle lever. "Don't worry, we'll get them out of the way." He took a sip from his water bottle and blew the whistle to signal the beings to move out of the way.

Back on the tracks, Celestia buried her head in her hooves and softly cried to herself. She, her sister, and her niece were all in an unknown realm dying in the snow. To make the already dire situation even worse, she spotted a huge black machine chugging towards the broken party.

Celestia tried to summon as much light from her weakened horn as she possibly could to make the strange machine aware of her presence, but all she could manage was a couple of flickers and a few wayward sparks.

"Stop! I implore you to stop!" her cries rang out. But the machine was still moving towards them at full speed, with no hint of a coming stop. A whistle sound emitted from the thing, as if taunting the princess.

Celestia could do nothing but scream at the top of her lungs, begging whatever was controlling the monstrous machine to halt. Powerless, tears glimmered in her eyes, the hope of ever saving the lives of her and her family slipping away.

Back in the car, Evan continued blowing the whistle to alert the animals to get off the tracks. But the creatures still wouldn't move.

"Do those things have death wishes or something?" Evan asked in annoyance, to nobody in particular. "Get off the tracks, you idiots!" he yelled.

He gave a resigned sigh and sat back down, preparing to release steam to slow down the train. "I'll pull the brake; you pull the sand lever." Evan said to John.

John pulled the lever, but it wouldn't budge. He tried pulling with both hands. It felt as though the stupid thing had been coated with super glue.

Evan was getting annoyed, "What's the matter, muscles?! You weak? Pull it!" he shouted.

"I'm trying! This thing feels like it's been welded in!" John retorted.

Evan rolled his eyes and grumbled as he stood up to try it for himself. Evan attempted to pull the lever, but it didn't move an inch.

"The hell?" Evan asked. "Alright, then. John, give me a hand!"

Evan and John pulled the lever with all of their might, but it would not budge. They tried for a very long time to move it with no luck. Finally, they decided to give the lever the hardest pull they could muster. They readied themselves and yanked the lever as hard as they could. However, the sheer force of the pull caused the pin to come out, thus yanking the lever out of its socket.

The sudden force knocked the two engineers off their feet and onto the floor. Both groaned with pain after almost having the wind knocked out of them.

Suddenly, Evan looked at John in horror. John turned to his hand and saw a piece of the broken lever in his hand.

"Son of a bitch!" John yelled in pain.

"What the hell did you do?!" Evan shouted.

"Why are you blaming me?! You told me to grab the lever!" John yelled back.

Soon, both men were so caught up in their quarrel that they completely forgot why they were pulling the lever in the first place.

Back on the tracks, Celestia could only scream at the train and hope that it would stop. By now, she had been yelling for so long that her throat was hoarse and her voice cracking. In disbelief of the horrific situation, Celestia began to break down and cry in the snow. The train, as if rejecting her pleas for mercy, still sped towards her, Luna, and Cadence.

Back in the locomotive cab, Evan looked around for a solution and spotted his toolbox. He grabbed it and pulled out his radio. "John!" Evan urgently spoke into the mic, climbing out of the cab. "I'm going to go see what the hell what jamming the sand dome!

"Fix the lever!" he directed John. "I don't care how you do it! Get the damn thing fixed!"

Evan shielded his face from the cold and bitter snow on the locomotive's running board. The train rumbled and shook as it battled the harsh weather. The captain grabbed onto the side rails to secure himself.

He saw a light being emitted from the being's horn that was getting closer and closer by the second. He squinted to protect his eyes from the sand as it poured out of the sand dome. He saw the hook, covered in frosty ice. Evan grabbed his hammer and began to whack on the ice to break it. He continued to pound the ice until a crack began to form.

Just as he was about to smash the ice, the train rumbled, which caused Evan to lose his balance and drop his hammer and the rest of his toolbox onto the tracks, never to be seen again.

"Damn!" Evan cursed to himself. "That toolbox had seven hundred dollars' worth of tools in there…"

Evan looked at the ice, then at the glow that was getting closer by the second. He was forced to use his last resort: breaking the ice with his fist.

Evan straightened his gloves to try to give his hands as much cushion as possible. He grabbed the hand rail and slammed the ice with his fist as he could.

The sharp fractured ice cut through the glove and into Evan's hand upon his fist's landing. He cursed to himself as the pain throbbed. He told himself to tough it out and resumed punching. This time, the crack grew a bit more.

After several punches, he was exhausted. He could not hit anymore. Then, Evan heard the voice of the creature. He froze in thought, then a fire began to rage in him. He used the last of his energy to ready a final punch. He clenched the handrail with his left hand to give him grip. Then with a yell, Evan used the last of his energy to give the ice one last punch, it was a success.

The ice broke off, which revealed the hook that could move freely now. Evan looked around for the radio and grabbed it

"John, I got it fixed! Is the sand lever working?" he shouted into the radio.

"I found the pin!" John responded, "Sand lever is fixed and ready on your command!" he shouted.

"Release the sand, now!" Evan yelled through the radio as the snow pounded on him.

"Copy, engaging the sand!" John pulled the fixed lever and engaged the sand.

The sand melted the last of the ice, revealing the rail. The metal wheels created friction between them and the rail. The engine engaged the breaks and the wheels sparked as the locomotive slowed down.

The sand also allowed the wheels to grip the frosted rails. Everybody felt the jerk of the train as it screeched to a halt. Michael and Garrett were flung onto the floor from their seats.

Evan walked back into the cab cradling his injured hand. John noticed that it was bleeding.

"Captain, your hand!" John cried when he saw Evan's injured hard.

"I'm fine! I'm fine." Evan grunted as he grabbed the first aid kit stored in the cab.

Back on the tracks, Celestia saw the train right before her, tears flooding her eyes. However, the locomotive began to release steam like a dragon's breath. She saw the warning light go on as the train slowed to a stop. Her heart beat with relief, as the train was mere inches from her. Luna and Cadence, unconscious in the snow, took no notice the entire event. Celestia began to sob uncontrollably, eternally grateful that the machine had spared their lives.

After the Evan had wrapped his hand in bandages, he and John opened their compartment in the cab and equipped their jackets and flashlights. The two men climbed down from the engine and began to inspect the three creatures lying on the tracks.

"Holy shit, what the hell do you think those things are?!" John said, shining a flashlight on them.

"They're nothing like I ever seen before, that's for sure," Evan replied.

Evan kneeled down and touched the white creature's neck. "Holy shit, they're still breathing!" he exclaimed.

"This one too!" John felt the neck of the pink creature.

Suddenly, the radio crackled to life. "Sir, why have we stopped?".

John picked up the radio, his eyes still on the three mysterious beings. "Guys, you might want to come over here."

"What happened?" Garrett asked.

"We don't know, but you know when Michael said he saw magical horses with wings?" Evan said.

"Yeah?" Garrett replied.

"He's totally right!" John answered.

Back in the passenger cars, Garrett and Michael walked towards the front of the train, getting bombarded with passengers complaining about the unplanned stop in the process.

"Passengers, please remain calm, we'll resume our trip shortly," Michael spoke in a firm tone.

"What's the meaning of this?!" a frustrated passenger shouted.

"My hotel check-in's at 8:30!" another passenger fussed.

"I'm going to be late for my date!" yet another yelled.

Garrett busied himself helping elderly passengers regain their composure. Michael helped a fallen passenger get up off the floor and back into her chair.

Michael grabbed the microphone and began to speak. "Passengers, please remain calm. We had found something on the tracks. We are working our hardest to get it out of way so we can resume operation. As always, please keep all the windows closed for your safety."

Michael and Garrett ran towards the first passenger car. They opened the closet and equipped their jackets and flashlights. Then, they climbed down from the passenger car door and walked over to John and Evan. The four of them saw three creatures with a combination of fear, shock, and amazement.

Michael pulled out his smartphone and took a picture. "Ha! I was right! Now I have photographic evidence!" Michael boasted. "I'm going to put this on my blog!"

"Which no one reads," Garrett smirked.

"I'll have you know that I–"

"Guys! Enough!" Evan shouted.

The two guys focused their attention to the creatures in front of them.

"What should we do with them?" John asked. "It'd be messed up to just leave them out here," he said.

"Maybe we should take them with us." Michael suggested.

"Hell, no! We don't know where these things come from!" Garrett said. "For all we know, they could just be playing a trick on us!" he concluded.

"Um, Garrett," John said, "it doesn't look like they're playing a trick. Look at the scars, blood, bruises, frostbite… Damn, it just goes on!"

Suddenly, the four guys heard a plea from the white alicorn. "Please…" she gasped, "My sister… My niece…"

"Did that thing just talk?!" Evan shouted.

The white alicorn continued to beg in a low whisper with tears in her eyes before she promptly fainted.

The four men were shocked and scared until Evan decided to break the silence. "Do we have room in the crew car?" he asked Garrett.

"Well… Technically we can–"

"Good, let's get them in there. We'll ask questions later," Evan cut him off. "And be careful, guys, they seem pretty fragile," he ordered.

John and Garrett nodded as they carefully scooped Celestia into their arms.

"Um, guys, we might want do it quickly…" Michael spoke in a frightened tone.

"Why?" Garrett retorted. "We're above schedule."

"Look over there." Michael pointed to a nearby hill.

The rabid wolf pack stood atop the hill, mouths dripping with blood. The wolves saw the men and the alicorns, and seemed extremely hungry. Round two had just begun.


	6. Back on Track

The wolves gazed at the crew with hunger gleaming in their eyes. The alpha used his tail to signal the rest of the pack to move in for the kill. Out of nowhere, a cloudy blizzard kicked up, as if even the weather was stacked against the men. This gave an open opportunity for the wolves to use their excellent sense of smell to pounce.

"Shit! Now we're screwed!" John shouted in fear.

"They must be here for those animals!" Michael concluded.

"Not to mention us too!" Garrett cried. "I am not becoming a wolf's dinner!" he exclaimed.

The snowstorm intensified, shrouding the group in a fresh layer of snow. Now was the time for the men to spring into action.

"Shit! We've got to get out of here, fast!" Evan told his crew. "Michael, Garrett! Get this one, now!" Evan pointed at Cadence and Celestia. "John, help me with one!"

"You heard him, Michael! Let's go!" Garrett repeated. The two carried the alicorns by her limbs and made their way to the closest passenger car.

"Wouldn't it be easier to just walk outside to our crew car?" Michael questioned.

"And risk getting ripped to shreds? Perfect plan!" Garrett retorted with sarcasm.

"Shut up and open the goddamn door!" Evan screamed at them.

Garrett opened the door and carried the ponies inside. They all walked inside and placed the two Alicorns into the baggage car.

"Get some of the staff to help, you guys!" Evan ordered them. "Me and John will look for more of those creatures."

Michael picked up the radio and called the rest of the staff, who began to walk towards the baggage car.

The two crewman, followed by the rest of the staff, carried Celestia and Cadence towards the end of the passenger car. Several staff members asked the passengers to make room. The passengers were surprised to see the two unknown mythical creatures right in front of them in person. Soon, the passenger became so crowded that the crew could barely move.

"What is that?" A passenger asked in shock.

"Probably some science experiment or something," another passenger concluded.

"Where did they come from?" yelled yet another passenger.

It wasn't long before their curious remarks and glaring camera flashes overwhelmed the crew.

"Passengers, please move out the way!" an exasperated Michael said.

After a few minutes, the crew was able to squeeze their way to the crew car.

Back in front of the train, Evan and John checked the tracks to make sure that nobody had been left behind. As Evan swept his flashlight across the snow, he noticed a blue horn poking through the cold. He dashed towards it and tried to scrape away the snow with his gloves. However, he soon discovered that the snow was very tightly packed and that he could be here all day trying to break it apart by hand. "John! I need your shovel!" Evan called.

"Got it!" John raced back to the cab to grab his shovel and brought it back to Evan.

Evan slammed the point of the shovel down to pick apart the snow. Soon enough, the hard ice crumbled down to reveal Princess Luna underneath. Evan gasped when he glimpsed the horror that was the blood, frostbite, and bruises that coated the alicorn's pelt. He failed to restrain a gag when he saw that her hoof had split when it had come into contact with the rail.

At Evan's side, John struggled to contain his lunch at the sight of the gore. Due to the sudden drop in the temperature, he felt a wave of nausea and vomited on the snow.

"Son of a bitch, how is she still breathing?" John's gloved hand wiped the vomit from his mouth. "I-I I can't do this man!" he heaved. "This isn't what I signed up for—"

Evan shook John by his shoulders, trying to snap him out of it. "Get a grip, John!" the engineer shouted. "We're going to get her out of there! We can do this! But I need your help!" Evan said. "Can you do that!?" he asked.

John took several gasping breaths before he regained his composure. "Yes. I can!" he boldly shouted.

"Alright, then! Give me a hand with this one!" Evan ordered. John grabbed Luna's shoulder while Evan searched for her damaged hoof.

"Son of a bitch! Her hoof is underneath the rail!" John cried at the sight of the hoof. "Shit, it's bleeding! We've got to get it off!"

"Crap!" Evan grunted. "It's stuck in there!"

"How the hell did her hoof get down there anyway?" John yelled.

"That's just what I was thinking—look out!" Evan pushed John to evade the wolf's pounce. "Damn, that was close!" Evan saw the wolf, whom had crashed headfirst into a pile of snow.

Suddenly, another wolf pinned Evan, its jaws snapping viciously at his out-of-reach neck. "Argh! Get off me, you son of a bitch!" Evan screamed as he tried to shove the wolf off of him.

Suddenly, John whacked the wolf's face with his shovel, knocking it out. "Sleep tight, asshole," he spoke to himself.

Evan finally pushed the wolf off of him. It ran off, and John helped him up. "Thanks man," Evan said.

John noticed a severe dent in the shovel. "Aw, man, and this was my favorite shovel."

Evan and John walked towards the trapped alicorn and searched for a method of maneuvering her hoof out of the rail without hurting her. However, after several failed attempts, they were out of options.

"Oh god, if you understand English, I want to tell you that this is going to hurt…." Evan cried out.

He forcefully yanked Luna's hoof out from the rail. Luna, despite being unconscious, let out an ear-piercing cry. Evan and John carried the sobbing pony into the cab. The sound was so heartbreaking that the two grown men had to restrain themselves from crying, too.

"John, calm her down. I'll get the first aid!" Evan said as he laid her down gently onto the cold metal floor.

Luna cried in pain from her throbbing hoof. Evan got the first aid kit and opened it. He applied some ointment on the wound and wrapped a bandage around the area. He then treated the rest of her body. After a while, Luna's cries began to subside. John opened his water bottle and poured some water into her mouth. John heard her crying softly.

"That should tie her over until we get to the village," Evan said as he sat down.

Back in the crew car, Michael and Garrett positioned Celestia and Cadence upright in some seats. They both moved the tables so they could have room to lay down on the soft sofa.

Michael tossed a roll of bandage from the first aid kit to Garrett. "I'll take care of this one!" He gestured to Celestia. "The two creatures are safe in the car! Get us out of here!" Garrett screamed into the radio.

Evan got into the cab and fired up the locomotive. John shoveled coal into the firebox to warm up the boiler.

Michael grabbed the passenger radio and spoke. "All passengers, please lock your windows. I repeat, lock your windows. We have encountered some dangerous animals. Once again, please lock your windows." He didn't need to tell them twice, as most of them had already begun frantically shoving up their windows before the train started moving again.

Back in the cab, John continued to shovel coal until felt a wave of fatigue. He took a break and sat down to catch his breath. "Shit. I had never needed to shovel coal that quickly." He gasped for breath. He got up to straighten his back, but he saw an approaching tunnel through the cab's front window. "Captain, tunnel up ahead!" he shouted.

Evan looked at the tunnel until he had the weirdest feeling came to his mind. "Why do I have the feeling something bad is going to happen?" Evan applied more pressure.

Suddenly, a small pack of wolves appeared on the cliff above the tunnel. The alpha signaled the pack with his tail, and the pack began to knock down dead tree trunks, rocks, and other debris in an effort to block the tunnel. Soon enough, their combined efforts created a rockslide. Evan and John were shocked to see how a pack of animals can pull off something so complicated.

"Holy shit! It's like they have an entire army against us!" John shouted.

"Oh, God, why do we have put up with this shit?" Evan muttered.

The rocks combined with the other debris started to pile up on top of the tracks, which created a pile of rubble, snow, and dead trees, blocking the tunnel's entrance. The train was about a mile away from the pile.

"Damn, as if we hadn't had enough problems already!" Evan groaned.

"Any ideas?" John panicked.

Evan thought for a minute until an idea came to him. "I've got an idea. How fast can you shovel?" he calmly asked his fireman.

"Are you kidding me? Do you see how big that pile of wreckage in front of us is?" John pointed to the pile.

"Yeah. And did you know that we're also on a six-hundred-ton battery ram on rails that can go up to eighty miles an hour?" Evan stated.

John grabbed his shovel and scooped coal from the tender. "Do you think this will work?" he asked as he shoveled coal into the firebox.

"To be honest, I have no idea," Evan said, applying more pressure to boiler, "But I am not going to die in the middle of nowhere." He pushed a lever to add more steam to the locomotive.

John picked up his shovel and began to shovel coal. "Too right, man."

Evan picked up the radio and contracted the other two crewmen. "Garrett, Michael. Are the two creatures in the crew car safe?"

"Yes, sir!" Garrett replied. "We're almost done patching them up."

"We found one more. We have it in the cab!" Evan told him.

Outside, the wolves were jumping and trying to grip onto the railing of the crew car. Some of the wolves hopped onto the passenger cars heading to the vista dome.

Michael opened the fire safety box and brought out two fireman axes. He threw one to Garrett.

"Captain, we'll call you back. We have a little problem back here," Garrett said, looking at the wolves clinging onto the passenger car. "Son a bitch, wait here. I'll be right back!" Garrett ran into the closet and shut the door.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Michael inquired. Before he could get a reply, he noticed the wolves glaring at him with their faces curled into a snarl. Michael readied his axe and glanced at each of them, one by one. "Garrett! What the hell?!" The wolves slowly prowled closer and readied their stances. "Garrett, you son of a bitch!" Michael yelled, readying his axe.

But before the wolves could make their move, a loud voice sounded. "Michael! Get down!"

"Hey, fur balls!" Garrett readied the fire hose. "Time for your bath!" He twisted the nozzle to release a stream of ice cold water at the wolves.

The wolves, soaked in icy water, stopped in their tracks. Michael kicked a wolf that was trying to pick itself up. Garrett sprayed them with water until he had blasted each and every one of them out of the passenger car. Michael picked up an injured wolf and tossed it outside the door.

Back in the cab, Evan pumped up every value and pressure to make the locomotive reach top speed. The locomotive's chugging got louder and faster as Evan increased the speed. John shoveled more coal into the fire box to keep the steam at maximum heat. Once there was enough coal in the box, Evan told John to protect the alicorn laying in the cab from the dangers that lay outside.

"John, make sure that the creature thing, whatever the hell it is, is secured!" Evan shouted.

John pulled Luna inside of the cab to protect her from the snow. He took his jacket and covered her with it like a blanket to shield her from the winter freeze. The train was now less than a quarter of a mile from the pile. Evan gripped the throttle firmly as John closed and locked the windows.

"John, tell Garrett and Michael to alert the passengers. Quickly!" Evan threw the radio at him.

Back in the crew car, Garrett blasted the last wolf off the passenger car with the hose. "Get out of our passenger car, you fur heads!" Garrett slammed the door of the crew car. Garrett saw Garrett walked over to Michael, who had a radio in hand and a frightened expression. He noticed the train was moving a lot faster than usual. "What's going on?" Garrett asked him.

"You're not gonna believe what they're doing," Michael told Garrett. "There is a big pile of rocks and shit blocking the tracks. They're gonna ram right through it."

"Holy shit!" Garrett shouted. "What if the train flies off the track!?"

"If that does, then… Ah crap, how the hell should I know?" Michael retorted.

Garrett tried to grab the radio out of Michael's hand. "Give me that!" he yelled. "Evan, John, please think about this! Aren't you worried about the passengers' safety?" he cried.

"We know, but we can't stay here forever! The wolves brought reinforcements!" John explained.

"Also, we might have pissed them off, big time," Evan commented.

"Ah shit, this is just brilliant!" Garrett sarcastically smiled at Michael.

"We need you two to tell everyone on board to brace themselves. We are going to attempt to push through," Evan told the two crewmen.

Garrett refused to listen "You have to consider the passengers! We can call for another train to—"

"God dammit Garrett! What other choice do we have? We're in the goddamn middle of nowhere! The station is five miles away! Now, listen! Either we take a gamble and ram through this pile or the train becomes a buffet line! Your call!" Evan yelled through the radio.

Garrett and Michael were shocked from the sudden outburst. "Alright, we'll tell them," Michael responded.

The two crewmen began to run from passenger car to passenger car, telling the passengers of the pile of debris and how they were going to ram it. Many of the passengers were frightened, scared, and worried. Garrett and Michael told the other staffs on the train to take cover. When the word had sufficiently spread, the passengers took cover and lay on the floor.

"Brace yourselves!" Evan yelled as he lowered his head.

John grabbed something inside the cab to secure himself and used his body to shield Luna from the impact.

The FEF rammed into the snow like a battery ram slamming into the gates of a castle. Everyone felt a strong jerking movement. Debris and snow flew everywhere, burying the wolves in the process. Some of the luggage fell off the overhead compartments and landed on the floor. Some of the passenger car windows cracked and shattered.

The front of the locomotive was severely damaged. The pilot was warped, the lights broke, the front boiler plate was dented, and handlebar ripped out. Every little part in the front of the locomotive were either broken off or damaged beyond repair.

Suddenly, a piece of dead tree flew towards the cab's front window where John and Luna were. "John! Look out!" Evan rushed over to shield John and Luna.

The flying piece of debris cracked the window and flew off. Thankfully, nobody in the cab was injured.

The locomotive roared through the tunnel like a speeding bullet. Although the impact had only lasted for about ten seconds, it had felt like an eternity.

"Damn, that was close!" Evan remarked.

Back in the crew car, Garrett and Michael were protecting Celestia and Cadence from the impact. Once it was over they stood up.

"You alright?" Garrett said as helped Michael up from the floor.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Michael replied.

Garrett went to the bag and got two bottles of water for Michael and himself.

Back in the locomotive cab, John decided to sit down. "Thank god we're off tomorrow," he groaned. "I could really use a vacation."

Evan turned a lever, "You and me both, buddy." He turned to look at Luna. "Although, I do have some questions I want to ask."

John looked at Luna, "To whom? That thing?"

"And those other two," Evan said. "Well, when they wake up, of course."

The train continued to speed along the tunnel and into the clear, enroute to the destination. Once the train left the tunnel, it was smooth sailing.


End file.
